Sometimes, popping bubbly on New Year’s Eve isn’t as easy as it looks in the movies or in commercials. When walking through the aisles of Total Wine or other specialty shops, it can be hard to not get overwhelmed by the myriad of choices available.
WTOP reached out to two wine specialists to find out what champagne consumers should know about ahead of time, and if there are any alternatives available for those looking to save pennies while clinking glasses.
For John Loats, head sommelier at Le Diplomate in D.C., good champagne has to have the following qualities: excellent acidity, great structure, complexity, texture and vibrancy of fruits.
Lieven De Geyndt, founder and chief tasting officer at Sparkle-ist, a D.C.-based sparkling wine and champagne club, told WTOP, “Palates are very different. So there [are] tons of different flavors in champagne and sparkling wine, more than people realize … It should just make you want to drink.”
One go-to tip that De Geyndt likes to offer to clients is to stop reaching for Veuve Clicquot champagne because “for the price point, there are a lot of other options that you can get.” Even so, he said it’s a safe and easy choice, and “there’s nothing wrong with it.”
Some of the brands and producers that Loats prefers are Laurent-Perrier for its “elegance” and “purity,” but for something more unique, he said Drappier and Aubry are worth consideration.
For those seeking lower price points, De Geyndt advises looking beyond products sourced from Champagne.
“There’s amazing sparkling wine all over the world and at different price points that can give you value and taste that is equivalent to champagne as well, whether that’s crémant in France, sekt from Germany. In Italy, you can look for the name Franciacorta or Trento,” said De Geyndt.
De Geyndt added that there are good American sparkling wines available, but “they’re still a little behind, but they’re getting better.”
No matter what bottle you end up with, though, De Geyndt suggests investing in a champagne stopper so there’s no feeling of obligation to finish a bottle in one evening.
